Too often, models have been treated as objects, and not as legitimate members of the workforce who deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect and basic legal protections other workers enjoy under employment laws. And this is the reason I founded the Model Alliance. Models often find themselves in a legal limbo between what’s covered under the law or not; for example, whether modeling agencies are considered employment agencies or whether models themselves are even considered employees deserving of the same equal treatment as other employees.

The Model Alliance stands with the brave individuals who have come forward to share their stories and with all survivors of sexual harassment and abuse. Sexual harassment, abuse, and assault have no place in the creative process, and should not be excused this way. No person should tolerate any sort of unwanted or inappropriate conduct, nor should our industry.

We are honored to be joined by Kalpona Akter, Robyn Lawley, and Judy Gearthart to speak about how women working at opposite ends of fashion’s supply chain could stand in solidarity to forge a more just and sustainable industry. From the runway to the factory floor, women and girls are finding their voice and calling for greater transparency and accountability in the fashion industry.

We are honored to be joined by Kalpona Akter, Robyn Lawley, and Judy Gearthart to speak about how women working at opposite ends of fashion’s supply chain could stand in solidarity to forge a more just and sustainable industry. From the runway to the factory floor, women and girls are finding their voice and calling for greater transparency and accountability in the fashion industry.

We spoke with Claudia Wagner, a model and the co-founder of UBOOKER; Madisyn Ritland, a model and the co-founder of The Lions Model Management NY; and Sanjay Pinto, a sociologist and fellow at The Worker Institute at Cornell University. Together, we discussed the current state of the modeling industry, models’ working relationships with their agencies, and how models’ working lives could be improved by giving them more voice, rights, and control over their work.

We spoke with Claudia Wagner, a model and the co-founder of UBOOKER; Madisyn Ritland, a model and the co-founder of The Lions Model Management NY; and Sanjay Pinto, a sociologist and fellow at The Worker Institute at Cornell University. Together, we discussed the current state of the modeling industry, models’ working relationships with their agencies, and how models’ working lives could be improved by giving them more voice, rights, and control over their work.

We first met Kimberly at her Fashion & Justice Workshop, which she developed with her collaborator at Harvard, Jonathan Michael Square. The workshop serves as an entry point to examine the role of fashion in challenging inequality through sartorial ingenuity.

We first met Kimberly at her Fashion & Justice Workshop, which she developed with her collaborator at Harvard, Jonathan Michael Square. The workshop serves as an entry point to examine the role of fashion in challenging inequality through sartorial ingenuity.